Washington: Continuing with his agenda,
Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has sought a
civil nuclear deal with the US and other atomic powers and
asked for adoption of "non-discriminatory" criteria for access
to the technology for his country.
Gilani raised the issue yesterday, during a working
dinner hosted by US President Barack Obama for the world
leaders, that kicked off the 47-nation two-day Nuclear
Security Summit here.
Pakistan has been demanding a civilian nuclear deal
from the US on similar lines as Washington inked with India,
though it has been refused by it for now.
Coinciding with the start of the summit, Gilani issued
a national statement, which reiterated its need for civil
nuclear technology for his country.
"We urge all relevant forums to give Pakistan access
to nuclear technology for peaceful uses, in a non
-discriminatory manner, to meet its growing demand for
energy," it said.
He argued that Pakistan is fully aware of its
responsibilities.
"It had put in place a robust nuclear security regime
and was confident about the safety and security of its nuclear
assets as well as the security of nuclear materials and
facilities," he said.
"Pakistan has more than 35 years of experience in
running nuclear power plants. With trained professional
manpower and a strong nuclear safety and security culture,
Pakistan fully qualifies for participation in civil nuclear
cooperation at the international level," the statement added.
The national statement envisages a well defined
command and control system comprising the National Command
Authority, the Strategic Plans Division, and the Strategic
Forces Commands, exercises strict control over all aspects of
policy, procurement, operations, and, most importantly,
nuclear security.
It emphasises on a strict regulatory regime covering
all matters related to nuclear safety and security, including
physical protection of materials and facilities, material
control and accounting, transport security, prevention of
illicit trafficking and border controls, as well as plans to
deal with possible radiological emergencies.
Stressing on extensive export control regime, the
national statement seeks international cooperation, consistent
with its national policies and interests as well as
international obligations.
The statement argued that Pakistan has legitimate
needs for power generation to meet the growing energy demand
of our expanding economy.
PTI
